Prototype for an online skills-based drug prevention program targeting youth 11-13

PROJECT ABSTRACT Drug prevention programs that migrate to the web are interactive, but mostly fail to engage youth and maximize program exposure. An alternative approach considers gamification with animated sequences and uses machine learning algorithms based on Markov Decision Processes to stimulate youths’ curiosity, engage them in a real-world scenario that requires real-time strategic thinking. In this Phase I SBIR, we propose to design, build, and test an alpha prototype for Skills-Based Learning (SBL) Online, a fully gamified drug abuse prevention program. Gamification studies now conclusively show that youth can and do learn from playing videogames, particularly when they feel immersed in the game, maintain high levels of curiosity, and form a social identity or close attachment to the characters in the game. Programs also stimulate learning when they provide scaffolding, using guiding, coaching, and modeling that help youth master skills and advance to new challenge levels. In addition, the game has to be responsive to the player, incorporate their in- game behavior, and tailor play to their skill levels as opposed to delivering a prefixed program. When these elements of a videogame come together, they have been shown to stimulate higher order thinking and problem-solving skills that have value in the real-world. We propose to blend instructional design principles with state-of-the-art gamification using machine learning algorithms to create a realistic animated game that teaches decision-making, problem-solving, and social skills. The game involves animation, brief video vignettes, non-playing characters, and a personalized pedagogical agent (an avatar) to guide youth through a simulated environment that presents them with realistic social interactional challenges. The program targets youth in early adolescence (ages 11 to 13), a period when they face numerous developmental challenges that when successfully negotiated helps them crystallize an identity. Shifting tides of influence from parents to peers, seeking emotional independence and greater autonomy plus the adoption of formal operational reasoning are a few of the many factors that fuel “storm and stress” during adolescence. This Phase I application will coalesce the strengths of prevention and computer scientists to build and test an alpha prototype of SBL Online. The study combines formative evaluation using focus groups to learn more about the nature of youths’ social interactions, the settings in which they encounter peer pressure, their perceptions of risky behavior, future orientation, and problem-solving skills they employ to offset life’s pressures. Usability testing iteratively covers early and later build phases, plus active playtesting using think-aloud techniques. A second thrust involves obtaining input from key stakeholders (middle school teachers, youth service providers) to ascertain the program’s developmental and cultural appropriateness and commercial potential. The technology partner (3C) has an extensive acumen building and commercializing social emotional learning- based health-related applications for children and youth including projects with the investigators.NARRATIVEAdolescent drug use, including the consumption of alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana, remain significant health and social problems that require the development of effective preventive strategies. This research advances game-based learning with an online drug prevention program that can be delivered alone or in conjunction with other classroom-based instructional strategies. Moreover, this intervention combines emerging instructional design and learning theories in combination with evidence-based prevention science to create a fun, engaging, and immersive experience.